


Gradual Lightness

by Diary



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Asgardians - Freeform, Awkwardness, Bechdel Test Fail, Bottle Episode Fic, Bruce Banner & Thor Friendship, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Bruce Banner Has Issues, Bruce Banner-centric, Canon Character of Color, Canon Crossover, Canon Disabled Character, Friendship/Love, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Interspecies, Interspecies Friendship, Late Night Conversations, Literal Sleeping Together, Morally Ambiguous Character, POV Bruce Banner, POV Male Character, POV Nonhuman, Past Bruce Banner/Betty Ross - Freeform, Past Jane Foster/Thor, Past Relationship(s), Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Sharing a Bed, Spaceship Setting, Tony Stark Mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2019-04-17 22:17:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14198841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diary/pseuds/Diary
Summary: A post-Thor Ragnarok look at Bruce on the ship. Complete.





	Gradual Lightness

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Thor or The Avengers.

Bruce isn’t particularly surprised the woman has managed to get into the room he programmed to keep everyone out. A pang hits him at the thought Tony would have been able to effortlessly keep her out, though, knowing Tony, he’d likely refuse to stay out himself.

“Uh, look- Um, I’m sorry, but I don’t even know your name.”

“You can call me Valkyrie,” she replies. “I’m limited to _one_ mug of mead a day.”

Part of him is tempted to offer his condolences, but from what he’s gathered about how much she normally drinks and given how big and deep Asgardian mugs are-

“Maybe, uh, this isn’t such a bad idea.”

“Allfather says you’re a healer. You’ll need to help me.”

For a moment, he’s utterly confused. He’s fairly sure Thor told him that Odin had died- and oh, right, he thinks. Thor is King, now.

“Okay. If I can, I will, but you should know: I’m a human, a Midgardian. I know how to help other Midgardians.”

She shrugs.

…

Valkyrie gets into three fights in less than three hours, and after she’s dragged off to the designated brig area, Thor comes into his room. “I thought you agreed to help her.”

“I did. But, Thor, what do you expect me to do here? As far as I can tell, this isn’t withdraw side-effects. She’s just- a very angry person.”

Thor gives him a look.

“Okay, look, I assumed you meant medical help, not psychological. I’m not that kind of a doctor.” There’s a pang at the thought of Tony. “And trust me, me turning into Hulk- the fact the other guy comes out doesn’t make me qualified, either.”

Thor sighs. “She needs a friend. I’d hoped I could be that, but now- it’s frustrating. When I needed her to respect and listen to me, she wouldn’t, and I still need it, but now that she does, that seems to largely preclude friendship.”

“I’ll try, but me and her, we don’t have much in common. She and the other guy did, but I’m really hoping he doesn’t have to come out again for a long time.” Preferably ever, really, but he’s realistic enough to finally accept the hopelessness of such a hope.

“I’m going to let her out at dinner. Will you join the rest of us in hall tonight?”

“No, thank you.”

He’s always found Thor’s heavy appetite amusing to see in action, but compared to humans, all Asgardians have big appetites. On Asgard, there was no poverty or hunger, but on this ship there’s limited food.

People managed to bring in a variety of seeds, someone had had the foresight to bring some dirt, and Heimdall had brought a fascinating machine he’s hoping he and Tony can look at once they’ve made it to Earth. It rapidly accelerates the growth of seeds. This ship already had a tidy amount of food in storage, and it’s capable of preserving and holding the food they’re growing.

Even with all this, if the food is rationed the way the he and Thor discussed, no one, especially the children, are going to get enough to be satisfied, and even with careful rationing, there’s still a risk they might not make it to Earth before severe shortage happens.

When he was a fugitive, he witnessed starvation he was completely helpless against. He had literally no food, no money, no medicine, and no knowledge of any kind to give.

“I’ll have food delivered.”

“Thank you. Just some bread and water. My stomach still hasn’t settled.”

Thor frowns. “Before, on Earth, you always recovered quickly and ate more than normal after coming back from Hulk.”

“Yeah, well, I was never gone for over two years.”

…

He’s just about drifted off to sleep when he feels his blanket moving.

Sitting up, he blinks down to see Valkyrie has wrapped most of it around her.

“Didn’t Thor give you a room? With a bed?”

There’s a limited amount of beds on the ship, but thankfully, adult Asgardians don’t sleep much. All the children and babies are going to have a bed, and most of the women, including her, do, too. Like many men, Thor is sleeping on the floor.

She kicks at him.

He supposes a blanket might not have been included with this bed.

Moving to another corner of the room, he curls up as best he can and tries to-

“I often slept with Hulk.”

Jumping, he finds her right next to him, and he wonders how she could have moved so quietly.

“What?” He takes in the words, and a knot of unpleasant feelings flow through him. “Uh, when you say sleep-”

Scoffing, she kicks him hard. “I’d no sooner do that or let anyone else do that than I’d hurt or let a child be hurt in such a way.”

Mostly, he’s relieved.

He’s also confused and possibly offended, though, over what, he’s not sure.

“I’m not him. He comes from me, but who he is and who I am are different.”

“I know that.” Tugging at him, she gets them both wrapped within the blanket. “You don’t sexually interest me.”

“Good to know.”

…

He gets used to Valkyrie sharing his blanket with him.

Unfortunately, Loki is aboard the ship. He finds out, and with some of the people already questioning Thor’s right and/or ability to rule, he uses the knowledge to sow discord.

“Bruce, I need you at tonight’s dinner,” Thor insists. “Please.”

“How about you just throw Loki out of an airlock?”

Detaching her mouth from the mug she’s been sipping for hours, Valkyrie bops her head. “I can accept that you’d never do such a thing, but I have no such objections.”

“You’re not throwing my brother out of an airlock! Loki is a Prince of Asgard!” Taking a breath, Thor adds, “Besides, death never seems to touch him, but bloodthirsty-ness and what some might call insanity often follow when it tries.”

Setting her mug down, Valkyrie stands. “Long ago, I swore I’d never blindly swear fealty to anyone else. I won’t go against your brother without your agreement, but don’t brandish any titles about as if it’s supposed to mean anything. He may be a prince, but he is not mine.”

“Okay,” Thor softly agrees. Looking down, he says, “Bruce, please. I need your help.”

He sighs. “Fine. I don’t see why we can’t just ignore this, but if I can help, I will.”

...

Smiling, Bruce watches as Korg chatters with the children using him as a jungle gym.

Holding up a glass, Thor declares, “Let us eat, my people and friends.” Taking a drink, he sits down, and everyone else begins taking seats.

Heimdall remains standing. “There’s been discord due to your healer companion, my king.”

Bruce wishes he could crawl under the table.

“Yes, I’ve heard. Both Dr Banner and Hulk played a large part in all that are in here being so. However, we’re a free society. Any man who insults my friend will answer to me. Everyone else, you have my word there will be no reprisals from me.”

A young woman stands. Bowing with her fist against her left shoulder, she says, “Allfather, most of us- We’re more scared and uneasy than anything. He doesn’t eat with us. He only eats bread and water.” She looks critically at his plate. “We’ve never seen him smile.”

Bruce finds this unfair, in part due to the fact he was smiling a minute ago, but he’s long since learned his introverted nature is going to cause situations such at these. Humans don’t tend to trust quiet people, and it seems Asgardians are the same. When he tries not to impose or take up space and resources, it can be interpreted as disdain or a sense of superiority.

He’s long since accepted this is the way of things. Except when the other guy comes out, he’s never going to be anything but an introvert, and people are going to draw whatever conclusions they’re going to draw from this.

“Banner is a private person.”

“Yes, but he has reasons to disagree with your brother, Allfather. Prince Loki saved us. And Prince Loki tried to take over his world and caused human deaths. You’ve fought with him to protect Midgard, but this is not Midgard, and we are not Midgardians.”

He speaks up, “I don’t hold what Loki did against Thor. I never have. I don’t know about the other guy- I don’t know what Hulk might do if he comes back out, but I don’t mean any harm to any of you.”

Smiling broadly, Thor clasps his shoulder. “See, my friends? Bruce is no threat to any but possibly Loki, and as much as I’ll always love my brother, we all know, if someone has a quarrel with him, the other person is likely in the right.”

Bruce wonders if Loki is among the others or even the woman herself. He claimed he was taking one of the shuttles to meet some potential allies, but in all reality, who can say where and what he’s really going and planning?

The woman bows. “Allfather.” She sits.

“Anyone else,” Thor inquires.

No one else rises, and soon, dinner begins.

After a few minutes, Bruce starts to say, “Thor, I’m going to head back to-”

Valkyrie pokes him. “My food tastes funny. Taste it to see if there’s something wrong or if this has something to do with my diminished drinking.” She shoots a disgusted look at her mug of water.

Trying not to roll his eyes, he takes a tiny bite of her soup. “Well, I’ve never had this before, but it tastes delicious.”

“It’s vegetables,” is her unimpressed reply.

“You’re probably not going to have any meat until we reach Earth. Better start getting used to it,” he offers.

Reaching across him, she jabs Thor.

Apparently, this is familiar territory between the two as Thor merely smiles. “I’m sorry, my lady, but we’re lucky so many seeds were brought aboard. No one had time to get anything but their pets, and unless it’s absolutely necessary, I won’t even suggest such a thing be done.”

She responds by dumping her soup into Thor’s bowl. “I’m done for the night.”

Thor nods, and Bruce can’t help but say, “Wait. You’ve had about two spoonfuls.”

“It tastes funny.”

“Just, wait, please. Can you explain what exactly tastes funny about it?”

“For years, I’ve been drinking and eating dried rations. Allfather insists I start eating proper food.”

He suddenly fully realises: She and Thor are in something of a power struggle. She’s in Thor’s corner, but she’s content to continue drinking excessively and indulging in other unhealthy habits, and Thor is trying to break her of-

He can certainly admire Thor’s intentions, but he doubts such efforts are going to work. They’re stopgap measures, and once they get on Earth, she could disappear away from Asgardian society either by going wherever they aren’t on the planet or commandeering a transport, this ship or a human one, and going back into space.

Tony comes to mind, but it’s not particularly helpful. A few times, he staved off a drunken binge by getting Tony involved in something scientific. However, Tony was nowhere near her levels of problematic drinking, and Tony had Pepper, Colonel Rhodes, and people who would have been able to do more than him if Tony did start to become truly problematic.

Besides, as intelligent as she is, he doesn’t get the impression she’s stimulated by and appreciative of scientific concepts.

Despite recognising the ultimate futility, he wants to help. He wants to try to help her, he wants to help Thor, and he already has several ideas settling in his head.

“You have that look, Banner. I’m sorry Tony’s not here for you to drag off.”

Valkyrie looks between them.

“Tony Stark is a friend of ours on Earth,” he explains.

Or he hopes Tony still considers him a friend, but after he or the other guy or- one of Tony’s jets was taken off-planet without permission, then, eventually destroyed. This in combination with the fact it’s been over two years, and he can’t blame Tony if Tony no longer has any affection for him.

“Banner here and Stark are two of the smartest people on Midgard.”

She looks sceptical, and given the fact she explicitly compared the other guy to a child, he guesses this is fair enough.

“Is there anyone here besides you and her that aren’t scared of and/or uneasy about me?”

Neither Thor or Valkyrie answer, because, almost as soon as the words are out of his mouth, Heimdall has lifted his head from his bowl and is looking straight at him.

Somehow, Bruce knows this is an answer, and trying to push aside how scared and uneasiness this creepy display makes him, he decides aloud, “That’ll do. Excuse me.”

…

One of the people put in charge of preparing meals is Ecgric. He lost everyone but his little sister, Flatberta. Among the friends and family they lost was their sister’s newborn baby. She was only three days old, had been born while they were all on the run, and Ecgric refuses to tell Bruce what exactly happened, likely due to the fact Flatberta is a monkey with acute hearing who is always climbing into high spaces, squeezing into shadows, and listening to people’s conversations.

Ecgric is young, friendly, and Bruce can’t understand how someone who’s lost literally almost everything and everyone of importance can be so trusting of an unknown alien.

“I think what you propose can be done, Healer Banner,” Ecgric says. “Is this a Midgard dish?”

“No. I’m hoping it’ll make things better for Valkyrie.”

She’s been in the brig for two days, and her drinking has been cut down to half a mug every day.

“Flatberta has always admired the Valkyries and Lady Sif. Perhaps, there will be new ones soon. Do you think other Midgardians like you would be interested in courting them or being courted by them, or is that another way you’re unique among your people?”

The words take him completely by surprise. “No. Um, I mean, Valkyrie is a- friend, I guess you could say, but neither of us are interested in one another romantically. Or in any other way than as allies and friends.”

Ecgric’s question makes him realise something else, however: Ecgric is likely much older than him despite Ecgric’s youthful appearance. Asgardians have a significantly longer life span than humans.

If everything goes well and they all arrive on Earth, will there be enough genetically compatible but not too closely related Asgardians that they can truly repopulate the species? Will they eventually leave, or will there come a day when Asgardians and humans are competing for Earth resources? Will humans and Asgardians interbreed, and if they safely can, what will the half-human, half-Asgardians be like?

“Well, it’s probably too soon for me to be worried about that. What about you, Healer Banner? Oda was right; you only ever eat bread and drink water. If I could make you something to your liking, I will.”

“Asgardian alcohol could be dangerous for a human, even if watered down. And thank you, but bread is all I want and need right now. Uh, it’s very good.”

Giving him a small smile, Ecgric nods.

…

“Are you going to sleep in here tonight?”

Sitting down, Bruce pushes the bowl in front of her. “I’m hoping you’ll be able to have dinner with the others and not end up back here anytime soon. Taste this.”

“It’s regular soup of vegetables.”

“No, it’s not. If you want me to taste it first, I will.”

“Do it,” she says.

He does.

Giving him a suspicious look, she nevertheless takes a small bite, and he watches a jolt go through her.

Looking at him with wide eyes, she eats some more.

“It doesn’t have any alcohol in it, but this recipe produces something of a natural high,” he explains. When she cocks her head, he tries, “It makes your body respond somewhat similarly to the way it would to alcohol, minus the mind-altering qualities.”

“Why would you go through this trouble?”

“Why did you go through all the trouble you went through for the other guy?”

“Because, I liked him. I still do. I’m not sure about you, and I know you’re not sure about me.”

“That’s true. We do have Thor in common, though. You see him as your king, and he’s the closest friend I have at the moment. He needs both of us, but especially you. I wish we had some meat, but thankfully, we do have healthy fruits, vegetables, and some spices and herbs. You need to start eating properly. It won’t take away your anger, but it’ll help you be able to contain and channel it better.”

“You speak from experience.”

“Yeah, I do. But right now, my anger is still well under control.”

…

Valkyrie stops getting into fights with others, starts sparring with Thor every day, and begins helping train the Asgardian men and a few of the women on how to fight.

One night, she wraps her fingers around Bruce’s curls and scratches gently at his scalp. “I lost the love of my life during the battle against Hela.”

“I’m sorry. I- The person I lost isn’t dead. Or at least, I hope to God she isn’t. She wasn’t the last time I was me on Earth. But I wanted to marry her, and she loved me as much as I loved her. Her father, though, wanted to make the other guy and, by extension, me his slave. So, I ran, and for years, I kept running. By the time I could stop and he was forced to leave me alone, it was too late for us.”

“But you were angry before he started chasing. Why?”

“Earth is my home, but it’s not always a good place. People suffer and die needlessly every day. I wanted to help make it better.”

“Hulk was protective,” she says. “When he first arrived, he quickly became the top champion. One day, an alien or animal, I’m not sure what it was, got a body part stuck in some machinery. Hulk destroyed the machine, gently pulled the creature out, and insisted, ‘Doctor. Hulk no smash until Doctor.’ He was particularly fond of children, too. He liked playing with them. He never even accidentally hurt any of them.”

 _That you know of_ , goes through Bruce’s head, but he stays quiet. “Is that how you and he became friends?”

“No.” She lets out a frustrated breath. “I fought him with all I could muster, and it was never enough. He’d always defeat me, and I’d remain alive. Eventually, I started to teach him proper fighting techniques. Smashing did the job, but if he could finesse what he did with me, it’d please the crowds and the grand master even more. And it helped me hone my own skills.”

“You might need them,” he finds himself saying. “Earth isn’t going to forget what Loki did for a long time. And if Loki really isn’t a threat right now- whenever Thor had to choose between his duty and his brother before, it was always because Loki was a threat to innocents. Now, he might have to choose between a planet that won’t accept Loki and Loki and the supporters Loki’s gathered.”

“He’d better choose wisely, then,” she responds.

…

Loki doesn’t send his weekly correspondence, and Heimdall says, “I can’t see him anywhere, my king.”

“Can you see any threats approaching us,” Valkyrie asks.

“No, but given that I can’t see Loki and I’ve still yet to find the remains of Hela or any other speck of her, Allfather, it’d be remiss for me to not advise we start preparing for unseen threats.”

“Right.” Thor sighs. “Bruce, I’m not worried about Hulk the way you are. We’re going to need to start posting some of our promising fighters near everyone’s sleeping chambers. It’d help if you would take Valkyrie’s bed.”

“If someone attacks me-”

“Hulk will appear. What if my sister or brother has found something that even he can’t stand against?”

“Then, no offence meant, but everyone is dead with me.”

“Perhaps, but if I don’t have defenders posted near you, that will send the message I don’t value Midgardians and, worse, my friends the way I do my subjects.”

Personally, Bruce thinks Thor should value his own species over humans and Bruce in particular. Bruce knows, if it came down to humans or Asgardians, his friendship with Thor wouldn’t be enough to get him to prioritise the latter over the former.

However, he can’t place himself over them now. All available fighters need to be ready to defend their people, especially the sleeping women and children.

“Okay, I’ll sleep nearer the others.”

Thor squeezes his shoulder. “Thank you.”

…

Bruce doesn’t know for sure how this happens, but he becomes one of Ecgric’s guinea pigs.

He’s tasting one of Ecgric’s casserole creations when he notices bruising on Ecgric’s arm. Grabbing the arm, he carefully examines it. “What happened?”

“I rolled into Herebord’s armour.”

“You were sleeping on the floor with him?”

Ecgric nods. “Flatberta has decided to sleep with Wiligang and Ermenfleda. It’s only right I sleep with the other men, should someone else need the bed.”

Valkyrie sits down. “You’re sleeping with us tonight.”

Ecgric gives him a questioning look, and he shrugs. “I’m neutral.”

He’s realised Valkyrie slept with Hulk and now sleeps with him, in part, because, there’s a long-held cultural trend in Asgardians to not sleep alone. Many Asgardian children sleep with their parents and siblings far longer than most human children do, and usually, they eventually start sleeping with friends until they get married. When he got back from being Hulk in the ship, he quickly saw there were designated areas on the floor for groups of people to curl around and press against one another.

He wonders if Thor holds different thoughts and feelings or if him being king is preventing him from sleeping with anyone else. As far as he knows, Thor slept alone when he was visiting Earth.

…

He quickly gets used to sleeping with two people, though, Ecgric rolling around sometimes wakes him in the middle of the night.

One night, he wakes up, sees the door is opened slightly, and hears, “Not my first choice, but you’ll have to do. My brother is yet again over his head. We’ll have to do something, won’t we?”

Tensing, he realises this is Loki’s voice.

Gently pushing Ecgric’s arm off his chest and climbing over Valkyrie, he opens the door fully.

A few feet away, two men in armour are playing a game. Near them, a group of men are curled up against each other and snoring.

He goes to find Thor.

…

“I don’t know for sure what this means,” he stresses. “It could have been a dream or my imagination. I could have misheard something. But you should know.”

Sighing, Thor gives him a tired smile. “Thank you, Bruce. I’ll bring this up at breakfast. We’re fast approaching your solar system. In another few months, we’ll be on Earth.”

“I hope the other guy doesn’t need to come out, but, Thor, whatever I need to do to help you, I will.”

Thor gives him a brighter smile. “Thank you.”

Nodding, he starts to head back to Ecgric’s room.

“Banner.”

He turns to see Heimdall.

“He still searches for you.”

Confusion goes through him.

“Stark, son of Howard. Before the quinjet took Hulk off of Midgard, he was trying to find you, and he’s never stopped.”

Relief goes through him. “Good. Um, thank you. For telling me.”

Heimdall shakes his head. “A warning: He’s done things you will not view favourably. What those things are, I won’t tell you. Hopefully, you will hear from him instead of others. Just know that, you might find yourself standing on a different side from him. I cannot see into the hearts of others, but I believe he will always hold you in his affection. Whether you’ll do the same of him- I guess we’ll see soon enough.”

He can easily believe Tony’s gotten himself into trouble, made some enemies, and even done some stupid things, but he can’t imagine Tony ever doing something that would ever make him turn against Tony. He can't even imagine what such a thing would be.

Part of him wishes Heimdall would just tell him, but he decides to focus on the good: He’ll be back on Earth soon, he’ll get to see Tony, and he knows Tony is going to be happy to see him, too.

Heading back to get Ecgric up and help him start preparing breakfast, Bruce feels lighter than he has in a long time.


End file.
